[LongTimeAquarist]

I am getting my old 10gal tank ready. it is about 19 1/2 years old by now and along with live plants and driftwood to help with the pH levels, and I have a heater that keeps the tank at 78°, which is basically the only setting it has. I was going to use it to place my male betta in since he looked a little down when I added some new fish to my 20gal, but he has made a full recovery to where he is back to his usual self.
Now I'm planning on what I would like to add to the 10gal and here is what I'm planning:

1x Sparkling Gourami
4x Otos
2x Assassin Snails

What I would like to know is are there any schooling fish that can be added to the list, any non-schooling fish, or leave it as is? And will Assassin Snails eat other food if I don't have any other snails to put in the tank? I have three Nerite Snails in my 20g, but those are off the menu and they are there for algae control.

Here is another possibility if I can't get the Otos:

1x Dwarf Gourami
3 or 4x Amano Shrimp

Thing is with the shrimp, I won't need anything for the bottom, but I'm not sure if I need to fill out the middle level, mainly anything like the question I've asked before. Could use a little help in the matter.

 

[FrightyDog]

You could possibly try a school of Pygmy or Panda Corydoras? Both hard to find, but perfectly suited. As to swimmers, possibly rasboras (of any sort) could work, making you a tad overstocked. Other fish you could have are good ol fashioned guppies. Cheap, hardy, and playful. A platy would fair well as well. With regular water changes and it being planted however, that would change it all. The otos need a source of algae to feed off of. Most are wild caught and don't do well without natural food. For now I would say no otos unless they are seen eating prepared food at the LFS. To the other stocking be careful. Gouramis are a hit or miss with shrimp in my experience. Without proper plants for protection, they could get eaten. My current stocking is a bit crazy and not recommended.
1x Fire Red Dwarf Gourami (M)
1x Glowlight Danio (going to buy him a school soon)
3x Otocinclius (Cleans every piece of algae off literally everything. I never feed them)
1x Panda Corydora and 1x Bronze Corydora (buying a school of pandas tomorrow)
1x Female guppy (deformed and I like her bone structure)
I plan to add more glolights, but with heavily planted and regular water changes I should be fine. The tank is a year old which is needed for the otos. I think I am a B+ when it comes to answering, but if you have questions for me dont be afraid to ask

 

[LongTimeAquarist]

Yeah well, the 10 gal has a whole bunch of algae growing on all four walls, so the Otos should have plenty to eat, and I have plenty of wafers for them in case they run out. The thing is that I'm going to try and order the Otos from LiveAquaria, which notified me that they just received a batch and hopefully they still have some when I get the money to order some. Unfortuately I was planning to wait until July to buy some new fish, and if they are sold out before I can afford to buy them, I'll just bug somebody for a lift to the nearest PetCo or PetSmart. Platys, I already have 4 in my 20gal, along with a Male Betta, a Bolivian Ram and a few other critters, and I'm trying to go for fish I don't have in the big one. Kind of going for plenty of variety. The shrimp I'm ordering grow either a little bigger or the same size of the gourami I picked out, so they'll be too big for food for them. Guppies, I'm still a little skittish about those because of the requirements needed to raise them, and the first few times I've bought them, they didn't last a week. One of the reasons being is that I probably bought them from Walmart at the time, and you know how their reputation goes when it comes to fish care, main example being that the bettas in the one I go to look like they might be on or close to their last leg. Panda Corys I can find, but they don't come cheap and I'm not sure what the safe amount would be. I might try either Zebra Danios or Neon Tetras, but it's something I'll figure out when the time comes. Thanks for the advice.